How do you know what’s right and what’s wrong? How do you know how to live your life? What does it even mean to be a good person? These are all questions that keep us up at night, and the answers to them aren’t always easy to find.
Contents
- The Importance of Beliefs
- The Problem With Beliefs: They’re Hard to Find and Hold Onto
- Why You Should Question Everything
- What It Means to Question Everything
- How to Question Everything: Be A Skeptic, Not a Cynic
- Conclusion
Thankfully, with the rise of the internet and social media, we have instant access to essentially any information we want — including information that helps us grapple with some of life’s most challenging conundrums.
But many people struggle to find their own beliefs in this world of contradicting ideas.
In fact, it’s been shown that about 50% of Americans believe there is no such thing as objective truth or universal morality — essentially saying they don’t believe anything is true or right or wrong; everything is just a matter of opinion.
We might not know exactly who first said this famous quote, but it seems like something that has been floating around for quite some time: Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.
The Importance of Beliefs
We all have beliefs, whether we recognize them or not. They are the filters through which we view the world, and they can be incredibly powerful.
Beliefs can give us a sense of belonging and purpose, and they can even help us navigate through life. They can also be very dangerous — particularly when they’re not based in fact.
Our beliefs and opinions have the power to create reality. If you think you can’t do something, you probably won’t be able to. If you think you can’t get a promotion at work, you probably won’t.
If you think you can’t find love, you probably won’t be able to. Our beliefs need to be rooted in something real so that we can take the right steps toward achieving them.
That’s why it’s so important to hold on to beliefs that are based in reality and facts, rather than ones that are based on nothing at all.
The Problem With Beliefs: They’re Hard to Find and Hold Onto
Unfortunately, beliefs can be really tricky to pin down. We can’t just look in the mirror and say “I believe I’m beautiful”, and suddenly feel beautiful.
Our beliefs are often rooted in things like culture, society, and family — things that can be incredibly difficult to separate ourselves from.
This can make it incredibly difficult to find and hold onto beliefs about what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad.
Ideas about what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is bad are often influenced by what those around us are saying. But because each of us is exposed to different people and experiences, we are likely to come away with a variety of different beliefs.
In fact, research suggests that around 50% of people don’t really have their own set of core beliefs — and instead, they just sort of adopt the beliefs of whomever they’re closest to and spend the most time with.
Why You Should Question Everything
Questioning everything is the best way to find your own set of beliefs. If you want to be sure that your beliefs are rooted in something real, and that they’re helping you become the person you want to be, then you need to question everything.
Questioning everything will help you separate facts from opinions, and it will help you find your own truths.
It’s important to remember that questioning everything isn’t done with the intent of tearing things down or being cynical — it’s done with the intent of building yourself up.
You should be a skeptic, not a cynic. A cynic has a closed mind; they think they’ve seen it all and know everything there is to know — so why bother questioning anything?
A skeptic, on the other hand, is someone who is incredibly open-minded and wants to find the truth in everything. They want to see past the hype and understand what something truly is and how it can help them.
What It Means to Question Everything
When you question everything, you’re asking yourself questions like: Why do I believe this? What is the evidence that backs up this belief? What is another way to look at this situation that might lead to a different conclusion?
These are the types of questions that will help you break down your beliefs — and the beliefs of those around you — so that you can sort through everything and get to the bottom of things.
You can’t just trust everything that you read or hear. You can’t just trust everything that your friends believe or the culture you were raised in.
You have to question everything and sort through the facts to make sure that what you believe is an honest representation of reality.
How to Question Everything: Be A Skeptic, Not a Cynic
There are a couple of different tactics you can use to question everything and to avoid falling into the trap of being a cynical jerk. The first is to be diligent in your research.
If you want to make sure that you’re being true to your beliefs, then you need to know where those beliefs came from in the first place. If you want to know if a certain politician’s policies are based in fact, then you need to do your research.
If you want to know what is truly behind a company’s motives, then you need to do your research. If you want to know if something is safe for you and your family, then you need to do your research.
The other thing you can do is to surround yourself with people who think differently from you. If you only surround yourself with people who think like you and have the same beliefs as you, then you’re never going to question anything.
You’re never going to learn anything new. If you want to challenge yourself and make sure that your beliefs are based in reality, then you need to be around people who challenge you and make you uncomfortable.
Conclusion
The Ethics of Belief: Why We Should Question Everything and What It Means for Your Life The more you question your beliefs, the easier it will be to find the right ones and hold onto them.
You can’t just trust everything that you’re told and assume it’s true, you have to do the work to figure things out for yourself. When you question everything, you’re doing the work — and that’s when you find the truth. And remember: Be a skeptic, not a cynic.
